Really? No formula back in fridge after half used?

[Anonymous]

I pump and feed baby BM by the bottle and I always re-use them bottle. Put them in the fridge and re-use them! oops! I guess he must be quite inmune now. He's almsot 6 mo old.

[Anonymous]

We don't refuse formula (just try to make smaller bottles) but we do put milk back in the fridge and use it at the next feeding. milk had antibodies which formula doesn't -- so that's why I think reusing the milk is okay.

as for the medicine droppers, they don't touch the baby's mouth so I wouldn't worry about germs and bacteria. Of course, humans re-eat leftover drinks and food all the time, but I think the major concern is that babies have undeveloped systems that make them more susceptible to bacteria and illness.

Also, it's not just a formula manufacturer's theory; the pediatrician and most other sources recommend not reusing used formula. We have never reused just because the risk of DS getting the runs or something from reused formula just isn't worth it to me! I will save milk for the next feeding (i do replace the nipple).

[Anonymous]

Same rules apply for re-using 1/2 consumed bottles of BM as formula. My DS is 7-months EBF and I don't reuse any bottles that he hasn't finished within an hour of his drinking them. Then again - he rarely doesn't finish a bottle.

[Anonymous]

Throw out the half-used formula. Try keep your bottles and formula as clean as possible because Bacterial infection and diarrhea are more common in formula fed infants.

oh, baloney.

my DS was a very light eater. we made small bottles so we never really had to deal with refridgeration. i think you have 3 hours to finish a bottle at room temperature, right? anything left longer than 3 hours was trashed.

but as far as cleaning? we didn't even use soap b/c we didn't want DS to be sipping soapy formula. we just used really hot water. and never heated a bottle either. he was fine, from day one, with room temperature.

and he's never had more than a runny nose (and not very often at all!) in 2 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't refuse formula (just try to make smaller bottles) but we do put milk back in the fridge and use it at the next feeding. milk had antibodies which formula doesn't -- so that's why I think reusing the milk is okay.

You are kidding, right? Antibodies in BM will not cancel out the type of bacteria introduced by baby's saliva. The antibodies in BM do not have superpowers, as some would have you believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't refuse formula (just try to make smaller bottles) but we do put milk back in the fridge and use it at the next feeding. milk had antibodies which formula doesn't -- so that's why I think reusing the milk is okay.

You are kidding, right? Antibodies in BM will not cancel out the type of bacteria introduced by baby's saliva. The antibodies in BM do not have superpowers, as some would have you believe.

It's all a matter of what you choose to believe and what level or risk you're comfortable with. For me, putting leftover BM in the fridge and using it at the next feeding is okay with me. For others, re-using formula is fine.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/reusing-expressedmilk.html

[Anonymous]

Breast milk contains live antibodies that kill bacteria. Since bacteria is what causes milk to spoil, the antibodies in breast milk will keep it fresh longer than formula or processed milk.

[Anonymous]

Also note that BM does not contain the same kind of cow proteins and such that are in cow's milk/formula that cause those milks to spoil when sitting out in the first place. You can leave BM sitting out a good while and it won't really go bad... For those of you saving milk for the next feeding, we did that too. Just switched out to a clean nipple on the bottle for next feeding to minimize the chances of bad bacteria getting into baby's mouth.